This article originally appeared in the January-February 2007 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

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Grassroots Snapshot

San Francisco families win $10 million in city budget

By Kevin Hickey

Ann Connery understands how hard it is for families in San Francisco. After losing her job, she and her grandchildren lived in a residential hotel for two years. She now lives in public housing and says “helping other families is like reaching back and helping myself.”

Families are being pushed out of San Francisco because it’s too expensive, say advocates. Nearly half of the city’s families with children don’t earn enough to pay for food, housing, and child care—and 45% of African American families left the city between 1990 and 2000.

Connery joined other parents in the Budget 4 Families Coalition to push for more services for low- and moderate-income families. The coalition, convened by Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, won $10 million last year for rental assistance, child care, job training, and violence prevention programs. Strategies included:

Developing parent leadership: Coleman educated parents about the city budget process and how they could take action. Connery is one of 20 parent leaders, and hundreds more parents joined in the budget campaign. Sally Kailanai, a mom of school-age children with special needs, says she got involved after she saw other parents become homeless. She wanted to “be shoulder to shoulder with other people.”

Setting the agenda: Parents surveyed more than 2000 community members—through schools, community organizations, even on buses—about how the city should spend its money. “Doing mass surveys helps develop your agenda and gives you credibility with policymakers,” says N’Tanya Lee, Coleman’s executive director. Coalition members then voted to tackle affordable housing, child care, job training, and violence prevention.

Getting the word out: The coalition released their agenda at a press conference held on the steps of City Hall. Coleman prepared parents to speak with the press, particularly Chinese-speaking parents. As a result, coverage in Chinese-language papers helped them reach monolingual parents.

Speaking up for families: The coalition held a Speak Up for Families rally, where 800 parents and service providers asked supervisors and the mayor to pledge their support by signing a $10 million check. When the mayor didn’t show, they delivered hundreds of postcards to his office.

“I was particularly impressed with how parents took over City Hall to demand real measures to alleviate the heavy burden on working families and (their) alarming flight (from the city),” says San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly.

Meeting with city officials: Coleman organized community meetings at child care centers for parents and youth to speak with city supervisors. Parents also met with the mayor to tell their stories. Officials “don’t know what it’s like to be poor, you have to stand up and speak,” says Connery.

Supporting parents: Coleman provided child care, translation, food, and training—and transportation, after it got car seats donated and changed its liability insurance. Parent leaders also helped with transportation, child care, and reminding members about events. Community organizations and service providers got the word out to more parents, collected surveys, hosted meetings, and attended advocacy events.

“I didn’t know my voice could make a difference,” says Kailanai. “But now I know I can take my issues and ideas to the supervisors.”

• Budget 4 Families Coalition, 415-239-0161

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